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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Beachbody: Makin' you pretty inside and out!

And now for something I know absolutely nothing about: Skin Care!

So apparently Beachbody has this whole other side of its business that has to do with beauty products, and they have decided to allow Beachbody Coaches to sell the skin care line, which is called Derm Exclusive.

Full disclosure: Pretty much the only thing I do to my face is wash it with Olay Daily Facial pads and put some off-brand Olay moisturizer on afterward.

Super-duper full disclosure: you know what I do with those Olay Daily Facial pads? I cut them into fourths so the package will last longer! 


All that disclosure to say: I am no expert in skin care products.

Luckily I have a good friend and coach, Sandi, who DOES know something about skin care and is doing a 30-day trial so that she can give it her honest opinion. When she came to work out at our house the other day her skin was as smooth as a baby's bottom!

Cute, cute Minnie Driver is in the infomercial. Check out a clip!



Even in my limited expertise I know that skin care creams can be cuh-razey expensive, so I'm pleased to report that Derm Exclusive really does seem to be a good value. The whole system can be had for $39.95 per month. ($29 for coaches!)

Check out all you get here.

I'll keep y'all posted on Sandi's experience and will be back with a full review once she's completed a full month with Derm Exclusive.

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Workout of the Day
P90X2 Core
Guys, I'm kind of in a workout funk. I'm still doing them, but it's not with much enthusiasm. I've got a half marathon staring me in the face and I'm just not really looking forward to training for it! I need an attitude adjustment, most likely. After this week we're going to move into just two weeks of the third phase of P90X2, then a recovery week, then seven weeks of training leading up to the half. We're going to use Les Mills Pump three times a week and run the other three days a week, with one rest day.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Get fit FREE in July! (*ASTERISK*)

There is one week left in a special promotion that Beachbody rolled out earlier this summer.

It's the trial offer for challenge packs, a deal that lets you try out a challenge pack (fitness program and Shakeology) "free" for 30 days. The quotes cost you $14.95 in shipping.


I've been hesitant about promoting this offer for a couple reasons. For one (and look out, 'cause I'm about to go all Suze Orman on you):


DON'T SPEND MONEY ON SOMETHING YOU CAN'T AFFORD JUST BECAUSE IT'S OFFERED FOR "FREE!"

We all know that nothing in this life is free, right? If you buy a trial pack offer, you end up spending $14.95 MORE than you would if you bought the thing outright. All challenge packs have a 30-day money-back guarantee ANYWAY, so why spend the extra cash?

I know, I know, that's how most of this country operates, but I'm not down with it.


I'd rather see you save up (even if it takes a few months), and buy it when you have the money than jump on a limited-time "free" offer.

Secondly (and I'm saying this in muted, whispered tones), "Uh....what's to stop people from getting the trial pack offer, copying all the discs and pertinent nutrition info, and sending that puppy back to the company."  All Beachbody coaches battle rampant piracy and disc "sharing," and last I checked nobody's come up with an ironclad way to stop it. It would be nice if all people honored intellectual property, but sadly, they do not.

So, what I'm saying is: there is a trial offer going on right now. I don't recommend you take me up on it. Instead, join my new fitness challenge starting on August 6 by buying a challenge pack outright. It will save you money in the long run, you will still have the opportunity to send it back if you don't like it, but I'd bet money that you will like it. Particularly if you get the discs out of the case and put them in the DVD player. And then do the workouts! They work wonders.

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Workout of the Day
P90X2: Plyocide



Monday, July 16, 2012

Bananas for Yonanas

About a year ago I started hearing about something called Yonanas, a little machine that uses nothing but frozen fruit to make creamy soft serve "ice cream." Tony Horton and Missy Costello raved about it on Facebook, saying that the ice cream was delicious and healthy.

I did a little research on it and read pretty much nothing but good stuff. You can buy it online or at your local Target, Best Buy, or Bed, Bath and Beyond. I know that because I had to visit all three to find one! They were sold out at both Target and Best Buy.

 

Why it took a whole year for me to buy one of these babies is beyond me. The kids and I got one for Zach for Father's Day, and it is a big hit around here. Kate asks for "Nonanas" all the time, and any time we get some new fruit Drew asks if it would be good in Yonanas.

All you do is feed frozen bananas and other frozen fruit of your choice down the shoot of a food processor-like machine. No other sugar, no milk, no cream. Just fruit! And if you want to get creative with it you can add other flavor enhancers like peanut butter or chocolate. It comes with a recipe book full of ideas, and the website has even more as creative people come up with new things to press through the machine.

Here's a video showing how it works. Very, very easy:


The first flavor we fixed was Peanut Butter and Jelly, and it was delicious. Next up was Pumpkin Spice, which required a little prep work to make a pumpkin puree made with pure canned pumpkin, vanilla, and cinnamon. I froze the puree into ice cubes and then fed it through the machine after the bananas. It was my favorite so far, but I have a thing for pumpkin. Then we did Blueberry Peach Yonanas, and it was pretty great, too.

It's fifty bucks, and it will change the way you shop for bananas at the grocery store. I used to get all huffy when I'd go to the store and the bananas would be overripe. Now I get all excited and load up the cart with the "cheetah" bananas that I can take home, peel, and freeze for our next batch of Yonanas. (I'm also digging having so many frozen bananas around for my Shakeology.)

Love this machine! I hope the creator makes a million jillion dollars off of it.

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Workout of the Day
P90X2 V Sculpt
We're on the third week of Phase 2 in our second round of P90X2. In October Zach and I will run our first half marathons (Hah! I just typed "marathongs" accidentally. Now that would be some kind of race!), and we are mixing just a bit of running into the schedule now. Once P90X2 is over, we'll move back into three days a week of Les Mills Pump with three days of running/cardio: one day of high intensity intervals, one day of tempo running (at a distance of about 3 miles), and one long run on the weekends. 

My goal is to build my strength and endurance without running my knees into the ground before the race. I've gotten to a point where I don't enjoy putting so many miles in on the road, and through research and personal experience we've found that it's not necessary to run mini half-marathons each week to get ready for the race. You can use a mix of cross training and running to get your body ready to "go" for more than two hours. That's the plan, anyway! We'll see exactly how that plan pans out on October 7...

Monday, July 2, 2012

From fat to fit: a Williams Sonoma recipe makeover



Oh, how I love the Williams Sonoma catalog.
 
My mom always hooks me up with hers when she’s done, and each month I perch myself on the comfy corner of the couch to peruse the fancy cooking implements and decadent recipes.

Some people have a dream car or dream house, but I have a dream blender. And every time I open the Williams Sonoma catalog, there it is: 

The Vitamix. In all its soup-warming, peanut butter-making glory.

So pretty! Did I mention it heats soup through friction? I think that blender's powered by a car engine, or something.
One day, Vitamix. One day.

A few weeks ago a Williams Sonoma recipe caught my eye. It was the Ham, Cheese, and Fried Egg Panini, and it looks delicious.

What can't be improved by a fried egg?

While I’ve certainly seen less healthy recipes in the Williams Sonoma catalog, I thought I could create an improved version of this sandwich that kept the lean proteins intact while taking out a lot of the fat.

Here’s the original recipe:

Ingredients:
  • 1 tsp. plus 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
  • 12 oz. thinly sliced Black Forest ham
  • 4 baguette pieces, each 6 inches long, halved horizontally
  • 8 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated
  • 2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. minced shallot
  • 1/2 tsp. honey
  • 2 tsp. Champagne vinegar
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 2 cups mixed salad greens
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives

Directions:
Preheat an electric panini press on the “panini” setting according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 1 tsp. vegetable oil. Working in batches, brown the ham slices, turning once, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate.

Lay the baguette pieces, cut side up, on a work surface. Sprinkle about 1 oz. cheese on each bottom half and arrange the ham on top, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Spread 2 tsp. mustard on the top half of each baguette, then cover each sandwich with a top half. Place 2 sandwiches on the preheated panini press, close the lid, and cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the shallot, honey and vinegar. Add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Add the salad greens and toss to coat well.

In a large fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the 1 Tbs. vegetable oil. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook until the whites turn opaque, about 1 minute. Gently turn the eggs over and cook for 1 minute more. Open the sandwiches and top each with 1 egg. Sprinkle with the chives. Arrange the dressed salad greens on top, dividing evenly. Close the sandwiches and serve immediately. Serves 4.



I really liked the idea of a sandwich with an egg on top, and thought I could streamline the recipe to make it a quick, healthy breakfast.

Here’s what I did:

Instead of  two slices of baguette, I used one slice of Ezekiel bread for an open-face sandwich. Have you heard of this stuff? 
It’s about as healthy as bread gets! It’s sprouted grain and a complete protein, and is very dense. I think it tastes fantastic dry. Isn’t that weird? Look for it in the freezer section. (Since there are no preservatives, that's where they store it.)

On the bread I spread some Dijon mustard.

Instead of ham, I fried four slices of tempeh bacon, or, "Facon," if you will. Tempeh is a soy product, and the bacon version has a nice smoky, maple taste. It substituted well for the ham.

Mixed salad greens: kept.

Gruyere cheese: kicked. 

Fried egg: kept.

Tomato: added.

Shallot: skipped.

Chives: ignored.

Salad dressing: sprinkled just a touch of homemade vinaigrette on the salad greens.

Then for a little extra kick I sprinkled some Louisiana hot sauce on top.


Served with a side of fruit, including a unique and delicious orange watermelon. Hadn't seen one before, but it was super sweet.

Such a filling, flavorful meal! Full of good carbs and lean protein, plus some fruits and veggies. All before 8am!

Don't be afraid to mess with recipes. With a little creativity you can mix and match ingredients to create a brand new dish that is both delicious and healthy.

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Workout of the Day
P90X2 Chest, Back, and Balance